Press Releases

Money from Manitoba Helps Typhoon Victims

Released on November 16th 2009

Winnipeg – The Manitoba Government’s $100,000 grant to the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation (MCIC) is helping thousands of victims of Typhoon Ketsana get their lives back on track by providing them with shelter, food and basic necessities.

On September 29, former Premier Gary Doer announced that the provincial government would be providing $100,000 to the Philippines. These funds were given to MCIC to distribute to its member organizations doing work in the affected regions.

“MCIC has a number of members working on the ground in the Philippines who are able to assess the situation and respond quickly to what is going on,” says Janice Hamilton, MCIC Executive Director. “Thanks to the Government of Manitoba and the hard work of our members, a lot of critical relief work is now happening in the communities most affected by the typhoon.”

Nearly 1,000 lives were lost as a result of Typhoon Ketsana and subsequent storms, which began on September 26. It is estimated that over 10 million people were impacted.

One of the organizations to receive funding through the Government of Manitoba was Canadian Churches in Action (CCA) (led by Primates World Relief and Development Fund), a group of Canadian church-based relief and development organizations. The group includes four other MCIC members including Canadian Lutheran World Relief, Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, Mennonite Central Committee Canada and the United Church of Canada. CCA was given $31,000 to provide immediate relief to 400 households through the purchase of materials to repair damaged homes or construction of temporary shelters. This project is being implemented by a local partner, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, and involves the use of local skilled labour and locally purchased materials.

Other recipients include: PLAN International Canada, which received $24,000; HOPE International Development Agency, which received $25,000; and Co-operative Development Foundation, which received $20,000. These organizations are helping to provide food, clothing, medication, water and sanitation services to flood victims.

The Manitoba Council for International Cooperation (MCIC) is a coalition of 41 organizations involved in international development. An independent non-profit organization, MCIC is responsible for distributing Government of Manitoba funds designated for international development and emergency relief and rehabilitation and works within Manitoba to build understanding and engagement on international issues.

This program was made possible with financial support of the Government of Manitoba, and was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through Global Affairs Canada (GAC)